Happy Valley Page #5

Season #1 Episode #1

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RYAN:

The’s still all pens left on this

grave, Granny!

CATHERINE nods, tries to say “yep” but can’t speak.

CUT TO:

16 EXT. UPPER LIGHTHAZELS FARM. DAY 2. 13.05 16

Half an hour later. ASHLEY’s sitting on a wall rolling a

cigarette.

The four kids (MELISSA, CATRIONA, SAM and BEN) are off

playing down the field below the farm house. They’ve got a

dog bouncing around with them. It’s the kind of glorious,

happy day they’ll remember all their lives.

ASHLEY’s watching the two lads in their twenties unload bags

of sand from the back of a builder’s truck, and pile them up

neatly against a wall near the old barn that’s covered in

scaffolding. ASHLEY lights his rollie, then gets up and

starts helping the two lads unload the bags of sand off the

back of the truck. There are a lot of bags, maybe sixty.

Suddenly an excited voice from down the field

SAM:

Dad! Dad! Dad!

(ASHLEY looks down the

field. SAM’s pointing

into the sky)

The’s a red kite.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 24.

CATRIONA:

There!

All four of them are squealing “There! There!” wanting ASHLEY

to see it. ASHLEY squints up into the sky at the bird, then

shouts down to the kids

ASHLEY:

Beautiful! Lovely.

(addressing the two

builders as he still

looks up at the Kite)

Look at that lads, eh?

One of the lads, 22-year-old LEWIS suddenly goes

LEWIS:

Ashley.

ASHLEY turns around. KEVIN’s turned up with his cheque.

KEVIN:

Four-hundred and seventy-five. Was

that the right amount?

ASHLEY:

Spot on, Kevin.

Just then the other lad, who is slightly older (perhaps 29)

and taller and bigger than LEWIS, lets one of the sandbags

slip from his hands.

TALL LAD:

Sh*t.

The bag of sand splits open on the ground, and a couple of

blocks of cannabis resin, wrapped in polythene, are clearly

exposed amongst the sand.

KEVIN:

That’s

It’s dead obvious what it is. No-one knows what to do for a

second. ASHLEY realises pretty swiftly he’s the one who has

to take control. Calmly, he prods one of the blocks with the

toe of his boot. He looks at it like he can’t imagine what it

is.

ASHLEY:

What d’you suppose that is, lads?

LEWIS:

Search me, boss. No idea. Never

seen owt like it.

LEWIS is a sh*t actor. The other, older lad, is wise enough

to keep his gob shut. KEVIN lets out an involuntary nervous

snigger. He knows they know damned well what it is.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 25.

He knows what it is, so why wouldn’t they? And they know he

knows. Silence. Apart from the noise of ASHLEY’s boys and

KEVIN’s girls playing happily and noisily together down the

field.

KEVIN:

Maybe you should ring the pol[ice]

He realises he shouldn’t have said that.

ASHLEY:

Yeah. Yeah we should. You’re right.

I’ll

(he makes as though to

head towards the house)

Can I have a word with you? Kevin?

Regarding your next season’s

rental? On t’caravan. Only there’s

a few bits and bobs I need to go

through wi’ yer, that’s all.

KEVIN doesn’t want to. He’s frightened.

KEVIN:

Could...? We do that later? I said

I’d help Jenny unload the shopping,

she’s

ASHLEY:

Won’t take long.

KEVIN:

Ashley. Listen. This is - I’m - you

don’t need to ring the p[olice] -

It’s fine. I’m not - I won’t

ASHLEY:

Would you like a beer?

KEVIN:

A b - ? No, no, I’m

ASHLEY:

Come and have a beer.

KEVIN:

I:

ASHLEY:

What’s the matter? I’m just

offering you a beer.

KEVIN:

I don’t need a beer.

LEWIS:

Go and have a beer. Kevin.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 26.

Silence.

Silence.

KEVIN:

Listen. You don’t need to worry.

About me. I haven’t seen anything.

ASHLEY:

How d’you mean?

KEVIN:

This. I haven’t seen anything.

ASHLEY:

Well I have. I can see it. It’s

cannabis.

KEVIN:

I mean

ASHLEY:

I mean I don’t know why there’s

bags of camel sh*t in my bags of

sand, but... why? Are you accusing

me of something?

KEVIN:

No!

ASHLEY:

‘Cos I’m just going inside to ring

the police, me. Are you accusing me

of something?

KEVIN:

No.

ASHLEY:

What you accusing me of, Kevin? Are

you thinking that I knew about

this?

KEVIN:

No.

ASHLEY:

(to LEWIS)

Did you know anything about this?

LEWIS:

No, boss. No.

ASHLEY:

Did you?

OTHER LAD:

No.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 27.

KEVIN:

Fine, that’s fine.

ASHLEY:

Is it? What’s fine Kevin? Can you

explain to me how this is fine?

KEVIN:

I don’t want any trouble, Ashley, I

just want to go back to Jenny and

the caravan

ASHLEY:

I’m not happy making threats,

Kevin. I like Jenny, I’m fond of

the girls, but if you’re accusing

me of something, that’s a very

serious business.

KEVIN:

Ashley. Ashley. This is -

(he’s floundering. When

suddenly he has an idea.

And suddenly he talks

with a confidence and

ease that surprises

ASHLEY)

You can trust me. Believe me. I

think people have to make money the

best way they know how, and yes.

Actually. I would like a beer.

ASHLEY’s slightly taken aback. He weighs things up. He

indicates towards the farm, “After you”. KEVIN sets off.

ASHLEY follows. ASHLEY turns around and mouths angrily at

LEWIS - “Pick it up!” We linger with LEWIS and the OTHER LAD

just long enough to see LEWIS whisper to the OTHER LAD

LEWIS:

Knob.

LEWIS pulls gloves on then crouches down to stuff the

cannabis back into the sand bag. The OTHER LAD looks down at

the top of LEWIS’s head. And if looks could kill.

CUT TO:

17 INT. UPPER LIGHTHAZELS FARM, KITCHEN. DAY 2. 13.06 17

ASHLEY’s fascinated to know where this is leading. He closes

the door behind him. So it’s just him and KEVIN. KEVIN’s

nervous. But determined.

KEVIN:

How would you like to make half a

million pounds?

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE ONE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 28.

ASHLEY:

Sorry?

KEVIN:

I:

(he struggles, he’s

shaking with nerves, but

he’s also determined)

It’s not something I could do on my

own. I’ve thought it through, I’ve

thought through most of the

details. But I’d need help.

ASHLEY weighs things up. Never smiles.

ASHLEY:

Do you want a beer?

KEVIN:

Not really.

A moment.

ASHLEY:

Well I’m listening.

KEVIN:

Nevison Gallagher. Has a daughter.

Ann. Nevison could afford to lose

half a million pounds. Easily. Any

more and he might go to the police.

It’d take a good few days -

probably a week - to let him get

that kind of money together. In

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